{"id":17675,"date":"2022-07-04T07:00:23","date_gmt":"2022-07-04T05:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/?p=16384"},"modified":"2022-07-04T17:06:15","modified_gmt":"2022-07-04T15:06:15","slug":"british-beetle-guide-where-to-see-and-how-to-identify","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/british-beetle-guide-where-to-see-and-how-to-identify\/","title":{"rendered":"British beetle guide: where to see and how to identify"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Richard Jones\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 04 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Whether a majestic stag beetle, shiny chafer or stunning green tiger, the lumbering beetle is one of our favourite garden insects. Here is our guide to British beetle species, including where to see and how to identify them.<\/p>\n

How many beetle species are there in the UK?<\/h2>\n

With over 4,000 species in the British Isles, many of which are very small, beetles are often portrayed as being a \u2018difficult\u2019 group, the preserve of experts. However, there are plenty of beetle species that are either large, brightly coloured or easy to identify in the field or from photos, such as ladybirds, stag beetles<\/a>, and longhorn beetles<\/a>. Around 40% of the UK\u2019s insects species are beetles.<\/p>\n

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Many British beetles, such as this rose chafer, are brightly coloured \u00a9Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Confirmations can always be sought at the \u2018I spot nature<\/a>\u2018 identification site\u00a0where your uploaded photos (of beetles, and indeed any organism) are regularly checked by experts and enthusiasts.<\/p>\n

What do beetles eat?<\/h2>\n

British beetle species have a varied diet. Some species, such as the lesser stag beetle like to eat rotting wood, while the orange and black sexton beetle, favour decaying animals to lay their larvae.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the dor beetle eats faeces from animals. Many other species prefer the pollen and nectar from plants.<\/p>\n

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